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"Fastlane" is an entrepreneur discussion forum based on The C.E.N.T.S Framework outlined in the two best-selling books by MJ DeMarco (The Millionaire Fastlane and UNSCRIPTED®). From multimillionaires to digital nomads to side hustlers who are grinding a job, the Fastlane Forum features real entrepreneurs creating real businesses with one goal in mind: Freedom— both financial and temporal.

Platinum Contributor

I'm sorry that you feel sad from this thread, but I hope you can turn that frown upside down and realize that although I made some huge mistakes, I've learned from them! Hopefully others can learn from them too. Have a great day.

That's why I visit the forum as best as I can. To learn faster. Mistakes are good lessons, but they sure take up valuable time that could be used to build up Fastlane mechanisms.

That's why I'm not into financial gurus' 'mistakes are your teacher'. I think only weak people allow mistakes to punish them into realisation. Talk about letting the car hit you to know that collisions kill. I'm sure there are better ways to learn. If you can afford not to make a mistake, then don't make it.

aspiring 大君 of the bourgeoisie

IMO, you need to earn your way out of this. While there is some wisdom and much good meaning in the advice to cut and run for a better position, that would be reactionary.

Create a cashflow. Use the blog to move a product or something along those lines. Use the time you spend on security shifts to contemplate. (I did security for a while. It's mind numbingly boring. An overnight watch is a good place to think through the next day's actions. That may be where you figure out what your product is.) Use that cashflow to pay down the debt a bit and create an equity position in your house. Use the time that takes to brace your family for the reality that this is too much house and as soon as you get ahead enough to make a move, rent out the suburban palace and move into a duplex or a triple) with your family. Spend a couple years in it, then move back to the palace and rent both sides of the duplex. If you hold onto your current property for a couple of years you can pull this off. It's about a 5 or 6 year (or 10 or 12 year) plan. You just have to not drown in the mean time.

You could maybe flip this house and move into a duplex if you are not going to make it work where you are. One thing I learned expensively is that holding on to a bad house out of stubborn pride and hopes that appreciation will make me whole again can backfire spectacularly. I lost a bunch of money that way not long ago and it stings. If this house is too much, let it go. if it's almost too much, then earn your way into the position where you can make it work.

Silver Contributor

Thanks for asking bro! Been a while since I've checked in. The house is coming along great. We are not living there yet but we have owned it for a bit now. We've been doing some work to it and getting it move-in ready. We are actually hoping to be in there come March 1st. We will see!

Still chipping away at debt, still chipping away at fitness. A few road bumps along the way, but all things that can be measured and managed.

Silver Contributor

I make a decent living from my Slowlane job, but obviously its not what I want in life, which is why I am here. Recently my family and I upgraded to a much nicer home on a bigger piece of land. I knew that money was going to be tight, but didn't realize it was going to be THIS tight. We've been racking up some debt on the credit cards and are just barely able to cover all the bills. I have a few loans that will be paid off soon, making it easier to make sure all the bills will be paid, but I'll definitely still be living paycheck to paycheck.

This is possibly the best thing to ever happen to me though. I needed a kick in the a$$ to get myself back into the Fastlane mindset. Now that I'm feeling the heat knowing that I need to be making extra money to keep this roof over my family's head, I KNOW that I will succeed.

Thanks to the MF book and this forum, I have a much different MINDSET than I had years ago. I am making different CHOICES and I am experiencing a level of MOTIVATION that I've never experienced before. Old me would be blaming my poor choices on bad luck, my job, someone else, etc. New me is using this as a motivator to go out there and find some needs and kick some a$$.

Hey @LeftBench , I just wanted to say, I read every word of this whole thread, and I learned a TON from your attitude and spirit.

Dude, your level of self-confidence and personal respect to open yourself up like this, allow people to judge you and give you (sometimes) harsh feedback... I was so impressed. You don't shut down or argue back, you just open your mind and heart further and let in the good parts and accept it all.

I'm also in debt, though I've been pursuing a Fastlane income for years and still feel confident that I'll reach it.
But, I related so much to the sense of making mistakes and trying to push them down, down, down and out of my conscious mind.
And then sort of having it all burst to the surface, can't ignore it anymore, and the sense of transformation that can come afterwards.

To give some unasked advice from my armchair, I'd say: Keep LOVING your family every minute of the day, we both know NOTHING matters more than that. You have SO MUCH in your life and you're soooo lucky. And I know you know that.

When it comes to the Fastlane - and I'm still walking that path myself - I highly recommend that you focus on "decoupling your time from your income." For a busy Father, Husband, and Fastlaner - earning a single "passive $1" is worth $100 earned from an hour at work, imo. And, your first successful Fastlane venture doesn't need to be huge - just enough to cover your family's expenses - which this entire lesson has taught and trained and developed you to keep low with your Wife as a team.

If you had a small but Fastlane income, decoupled from your hours of work, then you could spend so much time with your family, and have the mental space and clarity to come up with an even BIGGER Fastlane venture for your 2nd Act that would not only provide for your family, but also vastly expand their horizons and opportunities - if you wanted to go that route!

And either way, your kids and wife would have the benefit of your time and energy. I can tell by your words that your kids are lucky to have you as their dad.

Thanks so much for all the updates (keep em coming!), and I'm sending you best wishes with your Fastlane ventures

Silver Contributor

Hey @LeftBench , I just wanted to say, I read every word of this whole thread, and I learned a TON from your attitude and spirit.

Dude, your level of self-confidence and personal respect to open yourself up like this, allow people to judge you and give you (sometimes) harsh feedback... I was so impressed. You don't shut down or argue back, you just open your mind and heart further and let in the good parts and accept it all.

I'm also in debt, though I've been pursuing a Fastlane income for years and still feel confident that I'll reach it.
But, I related so much to the sense of making mistakes and trying to push them down, down, down and out of my conscious mind.
And then sort of having it all burst to the surface, can't ignore it anymore, and the sense of transformation that can come afterwards.

To give some unasked advice from my armchair, I'd say: Keep LOVING your family every minute of the day, we both know NOTHING matters more than that. You have SO MUCH in your life and you're soooo lucky. And I know you know that.

When it comes to the Fastlane - and I'm still walking that path myself - I highly recommend that you focus on "decoupling your time from your income." For a busy Father, Husband, and Fastlaner - earning a single "passive $1" is worth $100 earned from an hour at work, imo. And, your first successful Fastlane venture doesn't need to be huge - just enough to cover your family's expenses - which this entire lesson has taught and trained and developed you to keep low with your Wife as a team.

If you had a small but Fastlane income, decoupled from your hours of work, then you could spend so much time with your family, and have the mental space and clarity to come up with an even BIGGER Fastlane venture for your 2nd Act that would not only provide for your family, but also vastly expand their horizons and opportunities - if you wanted to go that route!

And either way, your kids and wife would have the benefit of your time and energy. I can tell by your words that your kids are lucky to have you as their dad.

Thanks so much for all the updates (keep em coming!), and I'm sending you best wishes with your Fastlane ventures

New Contributor

Being "House Poor" is a horrible way to live life. Tell me that at least you bought a fixer upper (not just paint and some landscaping) that you can build equity into. I wish you luck.

If it truly is a fixer upper and you can build a good amount of equity into it, I would do that and sell it for a home that you and your family can better afford. Use your saving to invest in other projects to bring in cash flow.

Silver Contributor

Being "House Poor" is a horrible way to live life. Tell me that at least you bought a fixer upper (not just paint and some landscaping) that you can build equity into. I wish you luck.

If it truly is a fixer upper and you can build a good amount of equity into it, I would do that and sell it for a home that you and your family can better afford. Use your saving to invest in other projects to bring in cash flow.

Thanks for wishing me luck! You probably didn't read the rest of the thread. We sold the huge house. Made a little money off it but nothing spectacular. Have been paying off debt like a mad man. We just bought a much smaller, more affordable house. Currently in the process of fixing it up and getting moved in. Much happier.

New Contributor

Thanks for wishing me luck! You probably didn't read the rest of the thread. We sold the huge house. Made a little money off it but nothing spectacular. Have been paying off debt like a mad man. We just bought a much smaller, more affordable house. Currently in the process of fixing it up and getting moved in. Much happier.

Contributor

Read Millionaire Fastlane

I've Read UNSCRIPTED

Nov 22, 2016

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Just read through the whole thread and wow! Your progress is amazing and you are absolutely taking action and making moves to put yourself in a better life for both you and your family, which is the essence of the fastlane. I am going to share this with some close friends who I think could benefit from it extremely in terms of making better financial decisions now so they don't have to go through the pain later. Congrats, I can't wait to keep checking on your progress!

Silver Contributor

Just read through the whole thread and wow! Your progress is amazing and you are absolutely taking action and making moves to put yourself in a better life for both you and your family, which is the essence of the fastlane. I am going to share this with some close friends who I think could benefit from it extremely in terms of making better financial decisions now so they don't have to go through the pain later. Congrats, I can't wait to keep checking on your progress!

Contributor

Just read this whole thread and man I'm trully happy for you, what an example. Owning up to one's mistakes, having responsibility and accountability. I'm certain that your family is very proud of you and your wife and you will surely have tons to give to your children with what your learned along the way, much more than what that pool would give them.

Contributor

Read Millionaire Fastlane

I've Read UNSCRIPTED

Speedway Pass

Nov 9, 2016

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Very inspirational thread. I'm glad you took the time to post what you were going through and how you have worked towards bettering yourself. It is great to see progress and a lot of people start where you did on their path to a better financial life and it takes work and time to dig your way out so its great to see stories unfold that give some hope.

Depending on how you like fixing up your new house that might be a viable option for a good business! I know some guys that sell 20 to 30 homes a year and make very good money. They focus a LOT on systems and hiring out all the physical work and spend very little personal time compared to the profits on each rehab.

Administrator

Interesting that this story isn't about a business project.
It isn't about a first sale or a business idea breakthrough.
It isn't about "I did $100K last month!" or some explosive income goal.

It's about taking control and reclaiming your freedom by simply getting out of debt.

Discipline is rewarding, and it's a step all of us can take, no matter where we are in the process.

What if life wasn't just about paying bills and then dying?Burn life's SCRIPT and learn how to build a business that pays more than money; it pays freedom.Unscripted: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship
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Legendary Contributor

All the folks criticising this for not being "fastlane", I don't know what the F*ck you're talking about. This dude took massive action consistently over a period of time and has turned his life around. Kinda gets me pumped

Throw in a few million bucks on top of it. Then we're talking "f*ck you" freedom.

What if life wasn't just about paying bills and then dying?Burn life's SCRIPT and learn how to build a business that pays more than money; it pays freedom.Unscripted: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship
-----------------------------------------------------
** Amazon ** Website ** Download ** Instagram

Bronze Contributor

@LeftBench I just completely read through all 7 pages, wow is all I have to say.

It was seriously a rollercoaster of emotions... ranging from all the way to . Biggest grin on my face when you sold that house, paid off most of your debts, sold your car - paid off more debts and now you have you own very modest, yet beautiful house again (only realistic now).

I even stalked your IG for a little bit with that picture you posted with your Jeep (steal!), your family seems happy and that alone is way more important than any underground pool, or three-car garage. You've created memories by taking your family to Disney Land (World?), that alone is better that any long driveway.

This whole thread I was rooting for you, but don't forget the people who helped you along the way! That's a gift alone, you've got a beautiful, supportive family/extended family who have helped you through hard times - don't forget where you come from when your Fastlane adventure excels.

You've inspired me - this thread has taught me a lot. Live within my means, until your means broaden. I hope you keep us all updated regularly, for some reason I've felt a strong connection to this thread even though I can barely relate.

Man this is so true. Learning discipline has helped me make so many positive changes. I came into this thread with literally no idea what I was talking about, and no idea what I was doing besides digging myself into a bigger hole. Focusing on the basics (spending, saving, paying debt, etc) and manning up and admitting that I f*cked up were huge steps. Then just hunkering down and being disciplined is what made the difference.

Thanks again for more kind words MJ. One day I hope to be a successful entrepreneur earning millions of dollars. For now I'll keep working on bettering myself every day.

Silver Contributor

@LeftBench I just completely read through all 7 pages, wow is all I have to say.

It was seriously a rollercoaster of emotions... ranging from all the way to . Biggest grin on my face when you sold that house, paid off most of your debts, sold your car - paid off more debts and now you have you own very modest, yet beautiful house again (only realistic now).

I even stalked your IG for a little bit with that picture you posted with your Jeep (steal!), your family seems happy and that alone is way more important than any underground pool, or three-car garage. You've created memories by taking your family to Disney Land (World?), that alone is better that any long driveway.

This whole thread I was rooting for you, but don't forget the people who helped you along the way! That's a gift alone, you've got a beautiful, supportive family/extended family who have helped you through hard times - don't forget where you come from when your Fastlane adventure excels.

You've inspired me - this thread has taught me a lot. Live within my means, until your means broaden. I hope you keep us all updated regularly, for some reason I've felt a strong connection to this thread even though I can barely relate.

This post hit me right in the feels, man. Thank you so much for the kind words. It feels amazing to be able to go on a vacation with the family knowing that our bills are paid and that it won't devastate our financial situation. I appreciate you reading the whole thread and also looking into my IG.

What you said about the family couldn't be any truer... I am a LUCKY mofo to have the great family that I have!!

Silver Contributor

All the folks criticising this for not being "fastlane", I don't know what the F*ck you're talking about. This dude took massive action consistently over a period of time and has turned his life around. Kinda gets me pumped

Contributor

Thanks Andy. What I've learned most from this experience is to use my brain more and not jump into major life decisions so recklessly. My wife and I bought a house we couldn't truly afford because we got ourselves so excited about all the nice things about it. "We'll make it work" was something that was said multiple times when it was brought up how tight money would become. I was so focused on thinking about all the great times we could have at this house and refused to acknowledge the fact that there would be severe financial strain.

While it has been frustrating for sure, I am confident that in 5 or 10 years from now I will look back at this experience and think of it as a positive one because I learned a valuable lesson.

Thank you so much Kwad! Life is good man! Lots of areas I need to improve, but I'm so much better off than I was. Gonna keep doing my thing! I'm glad you enjoyed the thread my friend. I REALLY appreciate your kind words.

Silver Contributor

Hey, everyone. Figured I'd give a quick update. My family is doing very well. We are loving life in our smaller, cozier home. I'm closer to work, and we are able to pay the bills. We just returned home from a trip to Disney World. Its nice being able to take trips and actually be able to pay for them, rather than just put everything on credit and regretting it all.

I'm still working my regular job. The house is almost completely fixed up on the inside and we still have some stuff to take care of outside of the home. Doing it slowly over time as the money comes in.

I've been working on a product that I'm excited to launch in the future. I work on it at night after the kids go to sleep, while the wife watches T.V., or in the morning after a night shift while the kids are at school and the wife is working. (Also at work when its slow but shhh)

That badass jeep that I bought a few pages back was awesome and lasted a while. Started having issues with it so I sold it for exactly what I paid for it!! Bought another beater, a pickup truck that looks terrible but runs well. I mainly use it to get to and from work with my wife having the "reliable" car for transporting the kids around.

Both of the kids are in preschool. Next year my older son moves on to kindergarten, which will save us a lot of money each month! My wife also started working part time at the preschool. Extra income is helpful but she also gets us a nice discount on the preschool tuition which is nice.

Anyways, there isn't much else to report. Still plugging away, just much happier and healthier than I was when I started this thread. I'm amazed at the PM's I still get on here (and some on IG) from people who tell me I've motivated them. I was definitely a disaster! I'm glad I was able to turn things around and if you're in a similar situation don't give up... you can do it too! I still haven't "made it" or reached true "Freedom" but I'm still a lot better off than I was, and now I have the time and money to work on other ventures, without all of the stress.

I hope all of you and your families are well. Enjoy the holiday season and let's all go and absolutely crush 2018.

Contributor

Read Millionaire Fastlane

I've Read UNSCRIPTED

Aug 25, 2016

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@LeftBench just read through the entire thread. What a journey you've made! Congrats on your progress and the realizations that you've made early before it turned for the worse. I'm glad to hear that life is going well for you.

Would you happen to have any updates in 2018? Curious to see how your progress is going a few months after your last update!